


Simple Steps

by Rowby



Category: Waterparks (Band)
Genre: Fluff and Angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-11
Updated: 2018-02-11
Packaged: 2019-03-16 15:40:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,517
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13639230
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rowby/pseuds/Rowby
Summary: Geoff consoles Awsten through amother tough night.





	Simple Steps

He was tucked into his tightest corner of his bed, pushed up against a wall with his sweater sleeves covering his hands and his earbuds on full blast in his dark room. It was past midnight, but he couldn't sleep for the life of him. The only light allowing him to see the small designs on his blanket was his deep blue lava lamp, adding a dark tone to everything that pure darkness couldn't do. _Dark neon,_ he thought, looking around his room for a second before he looked back down to his blankets, feeling a fresh wave of tears wet his cheeks.

He didn't know why he was crying, why he was like this every February. From the tenth to the fifteenth he was a mess. Either he'd sleep the day away to avoid his thoughts, or be an emotional train wreck, keeping himself up every night with those same thoughts he was trying to avoid.

His phone lit up.

**You up?**

He grabbed his phone, doing his best to type back through his sobbing.

**_I ccant sleep_ **

He kept his eyes on the glare of the bright screen, watching the three bubbles pop up as Geoff typed back. He clutched his phone with white-knuckle grip, using one hand to wipe his eyes as he waited for his response.

**Want me to call?**

**_Ca nyou comme here please_ **

**_‘m, so rrry I'mm jjist a mess rig ht now_ **

**I'm on my way.**

He threw his phone off his bed, ripping his earbuds out and grabbing at his hair as he started to cry harder. He hated this. He hated how he had to depend on Geoff every time he broke down, waking him up and making him walk all the way down the road just so he could be calm again. He hated it so much but he couldn't do anything else that put him out of his comfort zone.

It seemed like a thousand years before he saw Geoff opening his window, climbing through the curtain and shutting it quickly.

“Awsten,” he said softly, sitting down next to him, not wanting to invade space, but also wanting to hug him as tight as he could. “Hey, are you alright? What's wrong?” His breathing was labored and his hair was a mess; he'd run all the way over here.

Awsten didn't answer with words, just a shrug and a sob. Geoff moved closer, patting his shoulder. Awsten leaned into him, sobbing into his shoulder.

“Did something happen?” Geoff asked, his voice almost a whisper.

Awsten shook his head, covering his hands and scrubbing at his eyes frantically. Still, the tears didn't stop.

He was tired of emotions. He just wanted to fall into nothing and not worry about anything. All he wanted was to be invisible and have Geoff be there with him.

He was drowning. That's what it felt, looked and sounded like. He was sure his face was red and he was hyperventilating. He heard waves crashing in his ears, as if he were being dragged underwater. The dark blue of the room didn't help. Geoff started breathing in deeply, letting his breaths out slowly, and Awsten did his best to match him.

“You're okay, right?” Geoff asked, and Awsten nodded. He tried telling Geoff it was just another episode, but he couldn't choke the words out; it was as if he lost his voice. “Okay. I'm here. Can you talk?”

Awsten shook his head, finally starting he calm down. He enjoyed the silence that ensued, his arm wrapped around Geoff’s torso and Geoff holding him close. The only sounds were their breathing.

Every year around the same time, this happened. Valentines Day was coming up, everybody was tweeting about their significant other, what they were getting for them, and he was all alone. His last relationship ended in utter tragedy, and every Valentines Day brought back memories of them together.

He was reminded of everything about him, how he looked, smelled, how his voice sounded and what Awsten's name sounded like coming out of his mouth. He wasn't over him, and it showed every February. It's been two years and he still wasn't over him.

Awsten hesitantly pulled himself away from Geoff, sinking back into his corner. “Sorry,” he managed to say, “I didn't mean to wake you up, or anything.”

“You didn't,” Geoff assured, “I couldn't sleep either.” He wound his hands together, squinting in the dark light. “You know what's got you messed up tonight?” He heard Awsten’s breathing go shaky, and he added, “You don't have to tell me if you don't want to.”

“Otto,” Awsten choked out, and just like that he was a sobbing mess all over again.

“Oh…” Geoff looked down, biting his lip. He'd been there when Awsten and Otto broke up, there wasn't really the choice to stay together. Now, Otto was across the country and all Awsten had left was Geoff. “Hey, you know it wasn't your fault, right? He didn't do those things because of you.”

“Feels like it,” Awsten said. Even with Geoff around, he didn't feel safe this time of year, he didn't feel secure. The only thing he felt was anxious. Anxious that Otto might come back, anxious that everything he built up so far could come crashing back down. “How else could you explain it, Geoff?”

“He was arrogant, rude, and inexcusable. You couldn't have done anything to change his mind.” Geoff had the slightest hint of anger edging into his voice, but it was overshadowed by his sympathy. “Really, you had nothing to do with it.”

“How come he gets to move on so quick and I don't?” Awsten cried, reaching for his phone and nearly falling completely off his bed to do so.

Geoff took his hand, as if he were a child reaching for the cookie jar. He was the one who fell completely off the bed, hand on Awsten's, pinning it to the carpet. “Hey, no social media right now,” he said, “You know you shouldn't be on Twitter like this.”

Awsten jerked his hand back, using the other to grab his phone. “I'm not,” he said, opening his messages. “I'm… I'm just…” his thumb hovered over Otto’s name, lightly tracing the heart emojis he put next to it.

Geoff noted this, almost unable to bear seeing Awsten like this. Lightly, he took the phone from his hand, turning off his music that was still playing and shutting it off. “Awsten,” he said lowly, “I know it's hard, but you just need to forget about him. It's been two years now, you think he'd be back by now if he was coming back?”

“He left me,” Awsten recalled as he climbed back onto his bed, Geoff following suit. “It was the middle of the night.” He kept talking as Geoff hugged him close once more, reassuring him with pats on the back. “I-I don't know where he went, all I know is that I just woke up from a nightmare and he was gone.”

Geoff has heard the story a million times. It broke his heart every time to see him like this. He remembers the days where all he could seem to talk about was Otto, he loved when Awsten’s eyes would light up, and he'd talk about him for seemingly hours.

Now, just the mere thought of his ex made him want to curl up and disappear.

“He didn't even tell me why,” Awsten stammered, “He-he just left without- without telling me!”

“I know, I know, shh…” Geoff let Awsten cry, not bothering to speak back and possibly make the situation worse. He knew how much Otto meant to him, and now that he was gone, they were both wrecks. Geoff was just a bit more put together.

Awsten had calmed down again, but he still didn't let Geoff leave. “Can you stay, just for the night? Please, you can sleep on the floor if you want to, but-”

“Yeah.” Geoff nodded and leaned against the wall next to Awsten. “I can stay here for the night, no worries.”

Awsten sighed in relief, leaning into his shoulder and almost immediately clocking out. All the crying had really exhausted him.

Geoff did his best to not disrupt his sleep as he laid him down, then still sat sitting up against the wall, almost guarding Awsten from… he didn't know. He just felt a little squeamish just falling asleep next to him.

Through the night, and even when crisp morning broke the darkness, he kept a sleepless watch over Awsten for no particular reason.

Awsten was still asleep when Geoff decided to head home. He even wrote a small letter explaining he went home and was about to leave through the window when something- some _one_ \- caught his eye. Walking down the street, pausing and looking up to the window, grinning and waving at Geoff before going on his merry way.

He recognized that long hair anywhere. He recognized that face, even from so far away.

He threw the note away and locked the window.

**Author's Note:**

> Ok so! This is just a one shot that's not exactly Awstto or Gawsten! I don't have any plans to finish it, so I'm kinda leaving it open-ended for you to piece together what happens!


End file.
